Paint sprayer



Jun 5, 1956 N. T. ALMQUIST PAINT SPRAYER Filed June 18, 1954 INVENTOR Nils TAImquist M W8 PAINT SPRAYER Nils T. Almquist, New Britain, Conn.

Application June 18, 1954, Serial No. 437,792

10 Claims. (Cl. 299-97) This invention relates to spraying apparatus, and more particularly to a portable centrifugal sprayer suitable for spraying paint and other liquids.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a centrifugal sprayer having simplified means of improved effectiveness for drawing liquid from an attached container into the spray forming portion of the apparatus and releasing the liquid in a highly atomizedmanner by centrifugal action without adverse eflect upon the material being sprayed.

Another object is to provide a centrifugal sprayer of improved construction affording increased protection against clogging or fouling of the moving parts of the sprayer when in operation.

Another object is to provide a sprayer of the character described which can be quickly and easily cleaned after use without having to be disassembled.

Another object is to provide a portable sprayer of light weight and compact size which is substantially foolproof in operation and may be conveniently used to spray a variety of liquids.

Another object is to provide a sprayer of the character described which is simple and rugged in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and which will operate elfectively for long periods without requiring adjustment or repair.

Other objects will be in part obvious, and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation view of a sprayer constructed in accordance with the present invention and partly sectionalized to show the internal arrangement of parts thereof;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the structure shown in Figure 1 taken on the line 22 thereof; and

Figure 3 is a view of the structure shown in Figure 1 taken on the line 33 thereof.

Referring to the drawing, a preferred embodiment of a sprayer constructed in accordance with the present invention includes a housing 2 having a generally cylindrical upright middle section 4 closed at its upper end by an upper section 6 and connected at its lower end to a lower section 8, the three sections being fastened together by bolts or the like (not shown) accommodated in bores 10 in the side wall of the housing 2. At its lower end the housing has a threaded flange 12 by which it may be attached to a container 14 for holding the liquid to be sprayed. The lower section 8 has a plurality of centrally intersecting radial spokes or arms 16 between which are spaces which open into the container. Projecting from the upper section of the housing 2 is a laterally and downwardly extending handle 18 by which the sprayer may be held and manipulated when in use. The handle is hollow nited States Patent tube 58 and into the distributor.

2,749,179 Patented June 5, 1956 and access to the interior may be had by removing a cover plate 20 held in place by a screw 22.

Near the lower end of the housing middle section is a transverse partition 24. Enclosed within the housing above the partition 24 is a drive motor 26 having a vertically extending shaft 28 which is journaled at its upper end in a bearing 30 in the upper section 6. The partition 24 has a central boss apertured to receive another bearing 34 which journals the lower end of the motor shaft 28 and through which the shaft extends downwardly below the partition 24. The electrical connections for the motor 26 are not shown in detail except to indicate a connecting cord 36 entering the end of the handle 18 and the actuating lever 38 for a switch conveniently disposed on the inner side of the handle 18 by means of which the motor can be turned on and off.

The spray-forming means is located within the housing 2 below the partition 24, by which it is separated from the motor 26 and with which it cooperates to protect the motor and motor bearingfrom the liquid being sprayed. The spray-forming means consists of a centrifugal distributor 40 which is fixed on the lower end of the motor shaft for rotation therewith. The distributor includes an upper disc 42 which has a central hub 44 threaded onto the motor shaft. The disc 42 has a slight downturned peripheral lip 46, and on its upper surface is provided with a plurality of concentric ridges 48 having sloping inner sides and substantially vertical outer sides. Depending from upper disc 42 are a plurality of radially and axially extending vanes 50 of somewhat smaller overall radius than disc 42 and having projections 51 to the lower edges of which is secured by rivets or the like a lower disc 52. The vanes 56) are preferably cast integrally with the upper disc 42 and have an airfoil shaped cross section as shown in Figure 2. The central portion of lower disc 52 is disposed generally normal to the shaft 28 and the outer portion of the disc is upwardly inclined in spaced relationship to the lower edges of the vanes 50 and terminating in a lip 53 adjacent the peripheral lip 46 to form a narrow slot 54 extending peripherally about the distributor.

The lower disc 52 of the distributor is centrally apertured and provided with a downturned central flange or collar 56 forming an inlet through which liquid to be sprayed may be admitted to the distributor. Liquid is supplied to the distributor inlet through a vertically extending stationary tube 58, the upper end of which fits within collar 56 and the lower end of which is connected to a tube 60 of plastic or the like extending to the bottom of container 14 adjacent its side wall. The tube 60 is flexible, and its bottom end can be conveniently turned in the proper direction to maintain suction from the container when spraying horizontal surfaces. The tube 58 is supported in a sleeve 62 formed by the intersection of the radial arms 16 of the housing lower section 8. The upper end of tube 58 is slightly smaller in diameter than collar 56 to provide a slight clearance space therewith to minimize frictional contact when the distributor rotates.

With this arrangement, when the distributor is rotated the centrifugal pumping action of the rotating vanes 50 will rapidly and etfectively dispel the air from between the upper and lower discs and through the peripheral slot 54, thereby creating a substantial suction at the inlet of the distributor, which is effective to draw even a heavy or viscous liquid from the container 14 up through the Liquid thus drawn into the distributor is spread out and filmed out on the surface of the lower disc 52 and is driven by centrifugal force up the inclined outer portion of the disc to its edge 53, where it is released through the peripheral slot 54 in a thin highly atomized sheet-like spray. Thus it may be seen that by reason ofthe centrifugal pumping action afforded by the vanes 50, the rotating distributor not only forms the spray but also serves as its own supply pump to maintain a steady flow of liquid from the container 14 into the inlet of the distributor. Also, the liquid is subjected to centrifugal action for a minimum period of time so thatseparation of the components is effectively avoided.

Since the motor 26'is not only-isolated from the distributor by the partition 24, but is located above the distributor 49, liquid in the distributor cannot flow by gravity into the bearing 34 or motor, and thus fouling or gumming up of the bearing or motor by such flow is completely eliminated. Moreover the ridges 48 on top of disc 42 serveas bafilcs over which liquid collected on top of the disc is driven by-centrifugal force to its periphery, and by which liquid is kept away from the motor shaft 28 and bearingrffii to minimize fouling thereof. With this arrangement, therefore, the sprayer can operate effectively for long periods without objectionable clogging of these elements.

The sprayer is provided with a discharge orifice in the form of a slot 73 formed by a notch in the lower edge of the housing section 4 and in alignment with the distributorslot 54. To control the width of the spray, a plate 72 rotatably mounted on the outside of the bearing 34 has a downturned flange 74 which is disposed between the periphery of. the distributor and the slot 70. EX tending outwardly from the flange through the slot is a knob 7 by which the plate and flange 74 may be manually rotatedrelative to slot 76 to permit the spray to discharge through'any desired portion of slot 70 and thus vary the width ofthe spray.

The portion of the spray discharged from the'dist'ributor. which is not emitted through the slot is directed downwardly by the wall of the housing 2, and flange 74 and drains by gravity'back into the container 14, the large open spaces between the arms 16 affording ample drain passages which are not susceptible to clogging or blocking. To prevent an accumulation of liquid from building up ontheperiphery of the. distributor and-interfering with proper atomizedv spray formation, there are a plurality of radially extending ribs 82 integrally formed on the inside Wall of the housing adjacent the leadingedge of slot70, which function liltcdoctor blades. The ribs are slightly inclined opposite to the direction of rotation of the distributor to increase the effective ess of their wiping or scraping action. A similar rib 84 on the opposite side of the housing also functions as a stop for the control plate 72.

To provide manual control of the spray discharge, tube 58 is vented' through alateral passage 86 in one of-the armslfi leading to a bore 88 in a thickened portion of the housing wall. Here 88 is counterbored to receive one end of a tube 99 disposed inaislot 92 in the honsingwalland connected through an opening94'in handle 18 to a flexible tube 96, of plasticor the like, which opens'at the surface of plate 20. The openend'of tube 96 is located so that it can be conveniently covered by the thumb of one grasping the handle of the sprayer. Thus it may be seen that when the end of tube 96 is uncovered, tube 58 is'vented and no liquid can be'drawn'into'the distributor, while when the end. of tube 96 is covered the suction developed by the distributorimmediately becomes effective to draw liquid into the distributor and commence the spray. This arrangement thus provides a simple and convenient way of turningthe spray on andoff.

A sprayer constructed andarra'nged as'above described hasmany advantages such a's'the production of'a' highly atomized spraywithout deleterious effect upon the'liquid sprayed; The'improved effectiveness of'thesuction'created inthedi'stributor'by vanes 50 insures asteady and plentiful supply ofliquid' from the container, even when spraying heavy- 'or'viscous liquids. The arrangement of-th'emotor above-thedistributor'," together with-lthe ridges on disc 42', efictivefy prevents fouling Lonclogging-otthe:bearing 34 ori'motor'. Moreover, this arrangement also permits the.

sprayer to be quickly and easily cleaned after use, with out requiring" disassembling and without injuring the motor, simply by filling the container 14 with a suitable cleaning solution, closing the slot 70, and operating the sprayer for a short time. As may be seen, the sprayer is compact and rugged in construction, and substantially foolproof in operation, and hence provides a convenient and effective means for spraying a variety of liquids.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

i t is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic specific features of-the invention herein described and alt statementsofthescefae' of the invention which, as a inatterof language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim:

1. A centrifugal sprayer comprising. a container for holding liquid to be sprayed, a removable housing mou'n'ted'o'n the t'op'of' the container, an electric motor in the housing having a downwardly extending drive shaft, a pair of' vertically spaced apart discs mounted on the drive shaft within the lower end of the housing havingoutwar'dlyradiating vanes therebetwcen, said housing h'av'in'ga discharge slot registering with a portion of the periphery of thedisc's, liquid inlet means forming a downwardly opening passageway to the central area between the discs", and a" supply tube depending from the housing'for' immersion'in the liquid in the container having its upper end in communication with said liquid inlet means.

2. A centrifugal sprayer comprising a container for holding liquid'to be sprayed, a removable housing mounted on the top of the container, an electric motor in the housing having adownwar'clly extending drive shaft, a pair of vertically spaced apart discs mounted on the drive shaftwithin the'lower end of the housing having outwardly radiating'vanes thcrebet'ween, said housing hav ing a discharge slot registering with a portion of the eriphery of the discs, a stationary tubular element mounted in the body of the housing below the discs, a flange on the lower disc defining a passageway to the central area between the discs disposed in telescoping relationship, with the stationary tubular element, and a supply tube extending into the'container connected at its upper end to thestati'onary tubularelernent.

3. A centrifugal sprayer comprising a container for holding liquid to'bc'spr'ayed, a removable housing mounted 011 thctop oftheconta'iner, an electric motor in the housing having adownwardly extending drive shaft, :1 pair of vertically spaced apart discs mounted on the drive shaftwithinthe' lower end of the housing having outwardly radiating vanes therebetwccn, said housing having a discharge'slot registering with a portion of the periphery of the discs, liquid inlet means forming a downwardly openingpassageway to the central area between-thediscs, asupply tube depending from the how;- ing for immersion in the liquid in the container having its upper end in communication with said liquid inlet means, and a partition extending across'the housing above thediscs, said partition together with the lower peripheral wall of the housing forming an inverted cupshaped casing for the discs for returningfliquidto the container which is not emitted through the discharge slot of-the housing.

4. A centrif-ugal-sprayer comprising a container for holdingtliquid to be sprayed, a removable housing mounted on'thetopof-the containen'anelectric motor in the housing.havingea-downwardly extending drive shaft, a pair of-vertically'spaced apart discs mounted on the drive shaft within the lower end of the housing having outwardly radiating vanes therebetween, said housing having a discharge slot registering with a portion of the periphery of the discs, liquid inlet means forming a downwardly opening passageway to the central area between the discs, means for varying the effective length of the discharge slot comprising a member swivelly mounted above the discs having an arcuate flange movable along the interior of the slot, and a supply tube depending from the housing for immersion in the liquid in the container having its upper end in communication with said liquid inlet means.

5. A centrifugal sprayer comprising a container for holding liquid to be sprayed, a housing surmounting the container and opening at its lower end therein, said housing having a discharge slot in the side thereof, a drive motor in the housing having a vertically extending shaft, a pair of axially spaced impeller discs mounted on said shaft beneath said motor, said discs having closely spaced peripheral edges forming a peripheral discharge opening opposite said slot, radial vanes mounted between said discs and rotatable therewith for centrifugally evacuating the space therebetween during rotation of said discs, said lower disc having an inlet at its center for admitting between said discs material to be discharged from said peripheral opening, a supply tube opening at its lower end in said container and in registery at its upper end with said inlet, and means for controlling the flow in said supply tube including a manually closable vent tube laterally connected to said supply tube and opening outside said housing.

6. A centrifugal sprayer comprising a container for holding liquid to be sprayed, a removable housing mounted on the top of the container, an electric motor in the housing having a downwardly extending drive shaft, a pair of vertically spaced apart discs mounted on the drive shaft within the lower end of the housing having outwardly radiating vanes therebetween, said housing having a discharge slot registering with a portion of the periphery of the discs, liquid inlet means forming a downwardly opening passageway to the central area between the discs, a stationary tubular element supported by the housing below the discs and registering with said liquid inlet means, a stationary supply tube depending from the housing having its upper end in communication with the stationary tubular element, and valve means for controlling the flow of liquid through the supply tube produced by rotation of the discs.

7. A centrifugal sprayer comprising a container for holding liquid to be sprayed, a removable housing mounted on the top of the container, an electric motor in the housing having a downwardly extending drive shaft, a pair of vertically spaced apart discs mounted on the drive shaft within the lower end of the housing having outwardly radiating vanes therebetween, said housing having a discharge slot registering with a portion of the periphery of the discs, liquid inlet means forming a downwardly opening passageway to the central area between the discs, an inwardly extending arm on the bottom portion of the housing, a stationary tubular element supported by the arm in registry with said liquid inlet means, said arm having a vent passageway extending from the tubular element to the exterior of the housing, and means for varying the effective opening of said vent passageway.

8. A centrifugal sprayer comprising a container for holding liquid to be sprayed, a housing mounted on the container, a drive motor in the housing having a vertical shaft, a pair of axially spaced impeller discs mounted on the shaft beneath the motor, the lower of said discs having an upwardly inclined peripheral portion spaced from the upper disc to form a peripheral opening and having an opening at its center forming an inlet, a plurality of radially and axially extending vanes mounted between said discs and rotatable therewith for centrifugally evacuating the space therebetween to form a suction at said inlet, means forming a discharge slot in said housing opposite said peripheral opening, means for varying the length of said slot, and means for supplying liquid from said container to said inlet including a tube registering at one end with said inlet and opening at its other end in the bottom of said container.

9. A centrifugal sprayer comprising a. housing having a horizontal partition, a drive motor in the housing having a vertical shaft journaled in an opening in the partition and extending therebelow, a pair of axially spaced impeller discs mounted on the shaft beneath the partition, the lower of said discs having an upwardly inclined peripheral portion spaced from the upper disc to form a peripheral opening and having an opening at its center forming an inlet, a plurality of radially and axially extending vanes mounted between said discs and rotatable therewith for centrifugally evacuating the space therebetween to form a suction at said inlet, means forming a discharge slot in said housing opposite said peripheral opening, a container connected to the bottom of said housing for holding liquid to be sprayed, a supply tube in the housing opening at its upper end at said inlet and having a flexible lower section opening within said container and adjustable to maintain suction with the liquid therein, and means forming openings in the bottom of the housing for draining excess liquid from the region of said discs back into the container.

10. A centrifugal sprayer comprising a housing having a horizontal partition, a drive motor in the housing having a vertical shaft journaled in an opening in the partition and extending therebelow, a pair of axially spaced impeller discs mounted on the shaft beneath the partition, the lower of said discs having an upwardly inclined peripheral portion spaced from the upper disc to form a peripheral opening and having an opening at its center forming an inlet, a plurality of concentric upstanding ribs on the top of said upper disc, a plurality of radially and axially extending vanes mounted between said discs and rotatable therewith for centrifugally evacuating the space therebetwen to form a suction at said inlet, means forming a discharge slot in said housing opposite said peripheral opening, a container connected to the bottom of said housing for holding liquid to be sprayed, and a supply tube in the housing opening at one end at the bottom of said container and opening at its other end at said inlet, radially extending ribs on the inside of said housing engageable with the periphery of said discs to wipe excess liquid therefrom, and means forming openings in the bottom of the housing for draining said excess liquid back into the container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,717,969 Goodner June 18, 1929 1,758,391 Dunham May 13, 1930 1,759,313 Jennings May 20, 1930 1,990,165 Breuer Feb. 5, 1935 2,413,710 Jason Jan. 7, 1947 

